Minute Change
by Malice Shaw
Summary: A simple one shot story about right before when Seifer went to Timber to try and save the lives of Squall, Zell and Selphie, but ended up being posessed and aptured by Edea. This takes place right before they showed up on the big screen. Quistis/Seifer in


Pencil scratched across the paper, leaving dark gray welt in the form of a line. Seifer twitched at the sound, his pacing stopped. Looking at her bent over form, he snarled at her. "What are you doing?"  
  
Quistis scratched another sentense before answering. "Trying to figure out who can take over my classes."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I lost my Instructing License."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because I wasn't..good enough."  
  
"Why?"  
  
She threw down her pencil, listening as it clinked twice before falling on the floor next to her. She turned in her seat, and glared at him over the silver rim of her glasses. "Because of some insensitive jerk who wants to drive me insane! Will you just leave me alone?!"  
  
Seifer huffed and crossed his arms, rolling his eyes towards the window. Quistis tensed up, waiting for his snot nosed remark to assault her senses but felt nothing. Letting her guard down slightly, she began poring over the list of Instructors she was given to choose from that were more then eager to take over her classes. Instructor Soudani? No. He was way too intense to handle any sort of classroom, and was more soft spoken then Quistis herself. He would be more likely to crack jokes then teach them to weild weapons, and his temper left a lot to be desired. Catch him on a bad day and he'll be more then likely to chew your head off and spit it on your dead body before you had a chance to hit the floor.  
  
Seifer grunted. Quistis ignored him and reached for her pencil. Realizing where it was, she leaned to the floor, picking it up. He chuckled like a pathetic narcisiss.  
  
Instructor Carlos. He would be a shoe in if it weren't for his lack of care for his own classes. He showed no care if they failed, passed, no complimenting words ever passed his lips. The only words that ever did pass his lips where to complain about something. His classes, lack of love life, most of all, a lack of a sex life. The last time he mentioned this to her, along with the inevitable proposition, he had left with her stinging slap to his face. She was issued a warning, and he a suspension. No, she questioned herself. He would be more likely to sleep with his students then teach them.  
  
She felt pressure at the back or her head. Light, very light, almost unnoticable. Quistis chucked it up to another incoming headache that always seemed to accompany anytime she was around Seifer.  
  
Instructor Caetano. Quistis thought on him for a few moments, trying to sum up the complicated ma. In a nutshell, he was smart, brilliant, hard working, and tough to the bone. But he was also the one who used to supply half of Galbadia with assortment of hullucinagenics and other illegal drugs. He himself also had a past history for using those drugs, stealing credits cards and rampaging through half of Deiling with a stolen truck and his girlfriend. He claimed he was fresh and new, "Like a virgine's honey pot, Quistis!" he said. Of course, he was wearing a white powder mstache at the time. She was about to pencil his name off, when she heard Seifer's footsteps behind her, and felt his breath near her neck as he leaned over to read off the Instructor's name.  
  
"Instructor Caetano?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"He's a hypocrite. I can't believe they actually put that idiot's name on the list."  
  
Quistis sighed. "And how would you know?"  
  
He didn't answer. Simply stood up and watched over her shoulder. The pressure was back now, a little stronger on her skull. Again, she ignored it. And him.  
  
Instructor Masters. A physical education teacher? What the hell? They actually wanted that skinny twerp to teach her class? Only thing he could teach how to do properly was to do a push up, and even then he'd mess up. If a kid got the test wrong by one question surely he'd force them to run laps around the track until they remember word for word the true answer. No help, nothing. He'd wear them out faster then Zell's first pair of gloves. She scratched off the name, and leaned back to stretch over the back of the chair she was sitting on.  
  
"..I can't believe I'm stuck here.." Seifer's voice rang out.  
  
Quistis turned in her seat, looking at him.  
  
"..Stuck here with YOU of all people.."  
  
"Seifer..I'm trying to work here."  
  
"..A mediocre instructor..."  
  
"Seifer..  
  
"..Who can't even do her damned job right.."  
  
"Will you please, just-"  
  
"From an Instructor to baby sitter, must be something real nice to put on your resume-"  
  
"Damn it Seifer, shut the hell up!"  
  
Seifer smirked, mumbling under his breath words she couldn't hear. Quistis groaned and closed her eyes, turning around and reaching under her glasses to rub her temples. Baby sitter to Seifer Almasy sounded just as much frun as trying to drown a Torama. She let herself drift into a small hazy feeling, for just a few moments..  
  
A halo of golden hair fell about her shoulders, almost unnoticable at first, but became more apparent when an untamed lock fell over her right eye. Narrowing her electric blue eyes, she pushed herself up from the chair, holding the list of instructors in her hand. Seeting, she turned around sharply, her hair falling around her face and wrapping loosely around her neck. Clicking her tongue, she used her free hand to savagely yank her hair from her neck as Seifer winced, then to thrust her palm outwards towards him. "Give me my damned hair clip back NOW."  
  
Seifer shrugged, smirking at her. "No."  
  
Quistis gritted her teeth and glared at him, hard. "Give it back or I'll perssonally see to it that you are on trash duty for the next 6 months!"  
  
That statement hit the right cord. The corner of his eye twitched before he reached back into his pocket and placed the clip on her upturned palm, snatching his hand away before she could grip it and break his fingers. She snarled, as she clumsily reached for her hair, pulling out the correct amount of hair before she pushed the clip into her mouth and used both hands to twist the blond hair into her trade mark updo. When she finished her handy work, it was far from her former style, with a few locks missing and only one side was left down. Seifer shook his head.  
  
"Pathetic, Instructor."  
  
"I'm not an Instructor anymore."   
  
Seifer snickered, and slowly walked towards her. "Can't you do anything with out the aid of a mirror?"  
  
Quistis wisely chose to remain silent at that comment. She was as unhappy as he was, being confined to this 10 foot by 10 foot room, being the 'baby sitter' chosen to hold onto the little boy who nearly got his whole SeeD squad killed. That's what he was, she pondered, a little boy. Selfess when it can come to it, but selfish even more so, always acting as if he was the one who was constantly denied his favorite toy. Except now he was being punished for those personality flaws. Yet why did she have to stay here with him? Probably her punishment for not having any..  
  
...Leadership Qualities.  
  
Refusing to discuss the matter (or ANYTHING) further, Quistis turned to sit back down in her chair and look upon the list of Instructors who were to be assigned to take her place. Stopping for a moment, she stroked Red Scorpion's tassle, sighing. She had longed hard for a Save the Queen, but where on earth would she be able to find Energy Crystals..?  
  
Seifer grew annoyed and walked up behind her, snatching the list of names from her grasp. Quistis shrieked and flung herself up, desperately trying to grab the paper friom his hands. She felt short to his six foot one frame, as he held the paper up high above his head and laughed at her. Pushing her away with one arm, he brought the paper eye to eye with him, and read off the Instructor's names.  
  
"Ha ha... Instructor Carlos? What do they want to do? Have a whole interum of pregnant SeeDs? Fill the next generation? Please. You were right to scratch that moron's name off."  
  
She jumped at him again. All he did was move to one side of the room.  
  
"Instructor Caetano? Gee what are they gonna do next semester, that guy's been too busy with his drug traffic to even give a damn about his own students, none the less yours. That ain't a milk mustache he's holding on his damned face."  
  
"Seifer, give me back my paper now!" Once again she lunged at him. He side stepped her and caught her around the waist.   
  
"Oooh Instructor Masters now eh? Who cares if the kids are stupid, they can run a five minute mile with him! And end up dropping dead of exhaustion by the time they hit twenty one."  
  
Easing her to a chair (or almost throwing her) Seifer walked to her desk and picked up her pencil. Leaning down, he began scribbling on the paper, hesitating a little before he picked it up and admitted to himself that this was the right thing to do. Folding it once, twice, and three time, he put the paper in his pocket before leaning on Quistis' desk, smiling a sad smile and remaining absolutely quiet.  
  
"What did yo write on that?"  
  
"The instructor who should take your place, Trepe."  
  
Quistis eased herself up, groaning slightly, from the couch. Walking towards him, she once again thrust out her demanding palm outwards, silently commanding him to fork over the folded paper in his pocket. He just shook his head and laughed when her face darkened in frusration and anger, her fists clenching at her sides. She felt her nails digging into her skin, small droplets of blood from her palms seeping underneath her fingernails. Feeling like she lost, her shoulders sagged, and she turned her back on him, crosing her arms about her waist and fighting the urge to cry.  
  
He felt a twinge of guilt eat at him. Yet he ignored it, instead choosing to concentrate on her hair. It was done sloppy, nothing like her usual pretty up do. She really can't do that with out a mirror, he snickered. That's five bucks Raijin owes me. He walked towards her now, lifting his hands and pulling off his gloves and shoving them into his pocket. Cracking his fingers, he lifted his hands to her hair and once again unlocked her clip. Quistis turned around sharply, her hair flinging around once again. She glared daggers at him, intending to scare him, but only suceeding in making him frustrated. "Turn around." He barked before shoving the clip in his mouth, and she let a sighed out through her nose and did just that. Quistis felt his hands sort through her hair, deviding it evenly a the crown, then pull gently on two lockes, placing them near her chin. Wrapping the loose hair into a subtle pony tail, Seifer pulled the clip from his lips and tied it up evenly, letting the ends of her soft blonde hair flow freely upwards in the now very stylish updo she was trademarked for.  
  
"There." Seifer muttered under his breath. His low voice held a silent prayer that she would at least notice the difference.  
  
Quistis raised a hand to her hair and felt the clip, before drawing her fingers down to the two lockes of hair that framed her face. "Thank you."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
She opened her mouth to speak but a rampant knocking on the door broke in before she could. Walking over, she threw a glance Seifer's way before pulling on the nob, opening it. Nida burst in, almost toppling her over, desperately trying to catch his breath. Quistis' eyes narrowed t him, before she opened her mouth to speak. The young SeeD caught her off guard, instead opting to talk first.  
  
"Quistis, Timber.. They need your help.."  
  
"What? Nida, speak already!"  
  
The young SeeD caught his breath, and stod tall, staring at her through scared brown eyes. "Quistis, in Timber, where they sent Squall, Zell and Selphie? They need your help. They tried to complete the mission, but where over thrown. The presidet was a fake, and the sorceress is after them now. Please, Quistis, they need your he-"  
  
"WHAT!? THEY SENT THREE NEW SEEDS OUT ON THIS TYPE OF MISSION?!"  
  
Quistis and Nida turned towards the noise, seeing Seifer's angry stance, they both realized where it had come from. His face held a mixture of frustration and fear, all surrounded by an intense anger Quistis had never seen him ever hold. He reached for a long black case, and snarled under his breath before pulling out his gunblade Hyperion, and running a hand along it's length. Hissing words unknown to anyone except his own ears, he started to run past Nida, only to have the younger man block his path. "No way Seifer! You're staying here!"  
  
Imitading the young man;'s tone, Seifer stepped back a little. "Uh, no I'm not."  
  
"You have to!"  
  
Seifer lashed out with a hand, and picked up the young man around the collar, pulling him forward. He closed in the space between them, and glared into Nida's scared eyes. "Look, pipsqueek. I don't have to do a damned thing. I WANT to do this. If you people weren't so stupid to send three green SeeDs out against a sorceress then you wouldn't have come here begging Instructor Trepe's help. Now get lost!" He threw the younger man against a wall, and took off into the halls. Nida grunted, the back of his skull slamming into the hardness, leaving a dent before his eyes rolled back into his head and he passed out.  
  
Quistis checked his pulse, and his breathing. Alive, but unconcious. Snatching Red Scorpion from the desk, she took off after Seifer, who was almost gone from the halls into the elevator.  
  
He saw her coming and held the door for her. She stepped inside and held her breath, waiting for him to make the next move. His slim fingers, still gloveless, pressed on the button for the last floor. In silence, they waited, the hum of the elevator filling in the empy air with sound. As soon as they stepped off, Seifer brandished Hyperion once again, and charged forth with Quistis in tow. She cracked Red Scorpion on the ground, prepared to fight, not sure who's side she should be on. Shock filtered them, as they headed towards the Garden entrance, that there wasn't anyone around to stop their leaving of the Garden. Once they hit the grass, their steps quickened towards the Balamb Trainstation, the only transportation to Timber.   
  
They did just that with out speaking to one another. The train was fast, each of them sitting on seperate sides of the cramped quarters, never letting a sound escape their lips. Only their breathing filled the air, until Seifer finally spoke up.  
  
"Instructor Trepe.."  
  
"I'm not an Instructor anymore."  
  
Seifer nodded. "I have a feeling that after this.. we won't see each other anymore."  
  
Quistis looked at him now, confusion setting in her eyes. The train stopped, and both stepped off, brandishing their weapons. Seifer tapped Hyperion to the floor, and nodded, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out the folded piece of paper and tossed it to her, watchin with amusement as she stumbled with shock and let it drop to the floor. As she bent down to pick it up, Seifer let a small smirk play on his lips before he started in a full spring towards the radio tower.   
  
"See ya Quistis!" He shouted over his shoulder before disappearing behind a corner.  
  
Quistis' eyes widened with shock, as se unfolded the piece of paper he had thrown at her.  
  
The Instructor's list.   
  
And the name of the Instructor who had the ability to take her place.  
  
"..Quistis Trepe..?"  
  
She read it to herself, again, before tearing the paper apart and dropping the pieces to the floor. Shouting after him, she sprinted as fast as her strong legs could take her, praying to the Hyne that she could catch up to him.  
  
Before it was too late.  
  
Little did she know, that she was 'too late' since the beggining of their time. 


End file.
